Tag: Checker records

A reader contributed these images for us to enjoy. It’s an April 1960 issue on Checker 951 titled “Crawdad” backed with “Walkin’ and Talkin'” by the great Bo Diddley. I’m not used to seeing the font used on Bo Diddley’s name on Checker.

From July 1959 here is Little Walter’s “Everything Gonna Be Alright” backed with “Back Track” on Checker 930. Again here is Checker trying to use up their different styles of labels at the end of 78 production.

A teen aged Aretha Franklin recorded the passionate “Precious Lord – Part 1” backed with “Precious Lord – Part 2,” and it was released in 1959 on J-V-B. In January 1960 Checker records picked up the song and issued it Checker 941. Here are images of both.

“Say Man” b/w “The Clock Strikes Twelve” by Bo Diddley on Checker 931 was a surprise hit when it was released in August 1959. About this song Bo Diddley told Rolling Stone magazine, “Although it sounds like a spur-of-the-moment jam, Diddley maintained it was written down long before it was recorded. ‘A lot of the things I did in the Chess studios, we were just goofin’ around,’ he said. ‘They played it back, and it shocked all of us! Of course, they cut out all the dirty parts.'”

November 1959 saw the release of Bo Diddley’s “Say Man Back Again” b/w “She’s Alright.” This was Checker 936. After the success of “Say Man” Diddley and the Chess Brothers went back for more. But I always thought the vocals were mixed down too low in the mix of this one.

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Not covered in this site are children’s records (Peter Pan, Disney, etc.) that were issued on 78 rpm until the mid-1960s. Also not covered are commercially issued 78 records that were issued into mid and late 1960s in countries outside of the USA (India, South Africa, Philippines, etc.). Not even Canadian or British releases.

Also, I want to express my thanks to Discogs, eBay, John Tefteller, 45worlds, 45 cat, and all others for the images used on this non-commercial blog.